Filler valves for selectively flowing liquid propane from an original source, such as a tank mounted to a liquid propane truck, to an ultimate destination, such as a propane tank or receptacle, are generally known. An entrance of the filler valve is typically connected to a nozzle of a hose, which extends to the tank. In such a case, the nozzle of the hose would serve as the direct source of fluid into the filler valve. An exit of the filler valve is typically connected to the receptacle, which serves as the destination of fluid. The fluid may enter a storage portion of the receptacle directly from the filler valve or may pass through a series of valves and/or conduits located inside and/or outside the receptacle before reaching the storage portion of the receptacle. A filler valve (also called a double-check valve) is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,215,117 to Petersen et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Some filler valves open in response to pressure applied by the propane source. For these filler valves to fully open, the pressure differential between the source and the destination must be high. Sometimes the pressure differential is low, such as in cases where the filler valve and fluid source are separated from one another by a long hose. By way of example, this can occur when a tanker truck source is at street level and a receptacle is elevated above street level (e.g., on the second or third story of a building). In these circumstances, the filler valve may only partially or slightly open. The partial opening enables fluid flow from the source to the destination, but the partial opening also causes internal components (e.g., a poppet) of the filler to radially oscillate and thus collide. These collisions generate a loud and distracting rattling noise.
Consequently, a new filler valve is needed that discourages and reduces internal collisions, thus lowering the volume of (or entirely preventing) the unwanted rattling noise.